While it is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon, it will change type when it is holding a Plate.

Like Darkrai and Shaymin before it, Arceus was not officially recognized by Nintendo until February 14, 2009, the year of its debut movie. It was officially revealed to international audiences on August 3rd, 2009.

Arceus is also known as "The Original One," as it is said that it created Sinnoh and Ransei, and possibly the entire Pokémon universe, along with the lake guardians and creation trio. Arceus can only be found in the wild legitimately with the Azure Flute, which has not yet been distributed officially and can currently only be obtained by cheating. However, Arceus itself was distributed via multiple Nintendo events in 2009 and 2010, and distributed via the Pokémon Global Link in 2012.

Biology

Physiology

Arceus is an equine being similar to a Qilin or Centaur. Its body color is white with a gray, vertically-striated underside, the pattern of which has similar recurrences on the underside of Arceus's mane, tail, and face, and Arceus's four pointed feet are tipped with gold hooves. Its mane is quite long, jutting away from its head, and its face is gray, with green eyes and red pupils, and a green circular pattern below its eyes. Arceus also has a streak of gold coloration on its head, and ears that point upward. Its neck is fairly long, with two pairs of extrusions to the sides, and a flap-like feature on the neck's underside that is colored white like much of the body. It also has a golden cross-like wheel attached to its body by its round abdomen, which changes color along with its eyes and hooves based on Arceus's current type. The wheel also has four jewels attached to it. The pattern of striated gray of Arceus's underbelly resumes past Arceus's waist, the underside of Arceus's limbs also being gray in coloration, and with extrusions at the tops of the legs. Arceus's tail is fairly like its mane in shape and coloration. According to legend, it has 1000 arms.

Gender differences

Arceus is a genderless species.

Special abilities

An animation displaying Arceus's different colorings while holding Plates

According to legend, Arceus is thought to have created the Sinnoh region and possibly the entire Pokémon world, the lake guardians: Uxie, Azelf, Mesprit, and the creation trio: Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. Because of this, Arceus is thought to be one of the most long-lived of all Pokémon species. It has the power to recreate the creation trio as well, presumably to guard the dimensions when a Trainer has caught one of them.

Arceus is the only known Pokémon who can learn Judgment. Arceus can also use many attacks of various types, but to a lesser extent than Smeargle or Mew. Arceus is also the only non-Dragon-type Pokémon other than Smeargle who can learn Draco Meteor, although it must become a Dragon-type (by holding a Draco Plate) in order to learn it.

According to the anime, its power can also bring back things that it once destroyed or make certain things vanish into thin air. Arceus also has the ability to halt time.

Behavior

Arceus does not suffer fools gladly, and will attack in a violent rampage if betrayed or deceived. It also holds long grudges if angered.

Diet

In the anime

Major appearances

Arceus made its debut in Arceus and the Jewel of Life. It was angry at the people of Michina Town for Damos's unwitting betrayal of it in ancient times, and so attempted to destroy the land. When Ash and his friends are teleported by Dialga to ancient times, they directly influence the event, changing the future for the better so that Arceus will stop its destruction.

Minor appearances

In Battle Finale of Legend!, although Arceus is neither seen nor named, the Red Chain is said to contain the power of 'The Original One'. Using the Red Chain, Cyrus takes control of Dialga and Palkia by causing a red ring similar to the one surrounding Arceus's body to appear around their bodies.

In the manga

Arceus as it appears in Pokémon Adventures

In the Arceus and the Jewel of Life manga

Arceus appears as a central character in the Arceus and the Jewel of Life manga adaptation, reprising its role from the film. After Arceus saved the world from a meteor, Damos took care of it. It gave Damos the Jewel of Life to make the land of Michina Town rich and fertile. Damos then "betrayed" Arceus, and it has been outraged ever since.

In the TCG

Arceus appears in the TCG in all types but Dragon, and a player can have as many Arceus cards in their deck as they like, unlike all other cards in the game (besides Basic Energy cards). Cards based on Arceus first appeared in the Arceus expansion set.

Trivia

Arceus's English name has had three different pronunciations. The announcer of Pokémon Battle Revolution pronounced it "AR-see-uss". A promotional trailer for Arceus and the Jewel of Life used the pronunciation "Ar-SAY-us". In the final release of Arceus and the Jewel of Life, it was pronounced "ARK-ee-us", which was affirmed as the official pronunciation by a Pokémon.com mailbag.

All Generation IV games have sprites for Arceus using its Multitype Ability with all 18 types, including ???-type. It is disputed whether the ???-type Arceus is obtainable, as there is no Plate in the code that can be used for this. It is possible this sprite was programmed in to prevent game crashes caused by tampering with Arceus's type.

Arceus's signature move, Judgment, is the only move that Arceus is guaranteed STAB for, as it is always the same type as Arceus itself. However, on the battle screen, Judgment is always displayed as a Normal-type attack.

Arceus is the only pre-Generation V Pokémon to never officially receive a DPBP number. Kadabra, which was not released as a TCG card during the DPBP era, is assumed to be #070, as Abra and Alakazam are #069 and #071, respectively.

The ring around Arceus's body appears to have a malevolent counterpart in the embodiment of the Red Chain, as a red version of it is shown to ring Dialga and Palkia around the middle when Cyrus takes control of them in The Battle Finale of Legend!

Arceus is one of three Pokémon that can learn all of the moves ever obtainable as HMs. The two others are Mew and Smeargle.

Arceus is the one who is rumored to have prevented all Pokémon in the future from disappearing in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. Dialga explains that it "was no miracle" that they were saved, and that a "greater power" saved them all. Arceus is the master of the creation trio, of which Dialga is a member.

If an Arceus holding a Plate is hacked to have an Ability other than Multitype, it will remain in its current sprite, but will revert to Normal-type, regardless of what Plate it is holding, creating a situation not unlike Illusion. However, if Arceus is given a different Plate, its Ability will revert to Multitype.

Origin

Arceus is particularly based on a creator deity, present in many world cultures. The conception of the first god might be influenced from Kunitokotachi and Amenominakanushi, who, according to Shinto myth, summoned Izanami and Izanagi to create Japan with the spear. It may also be a reference to the Chinese mythical creature, the Qilin. Its myth is nearly identical to that of the Pangu, the Chinese creation deity. Arceus may also be inspired by (or a representation of) the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, who, in Buddhism, is either pictured with eleven heads and one thousand arms (the latter of which is mentioned in Arceus's flavor text) or in a white four-armed manifestation (which could look similar to Normal-type Arceus). Some inspiration may have come from a horse, because of its Platinum sprite and attack movements in Pokémon Battle Revolution.

Name origin

Arceus may be a combination of arch (referring to the highest point), arcanus (Latin for secret/sacred mystery), archaic (ancient), αρχή arkhē (Greek for beginning), or archetypus (Latin for original), and deus (Latin for god). It may also derive from aureus (golden, in reference to its hooves and wheel), arc (round or ring), or Archeus (an aspect of the astral plane).

In other languages

Language

Title

Meaning

Japanese

アルセウス Arceus

From a combination of arch, arcanus (Latin for secret/sacred mystery), archaic (ancient), αρχή arkhē (Greek for beginning), or archetypus (Latin for original), and deus (Latin for god). May also derive from aureus (golden), arc (round or ring), or Archeus (an aspect of the astral plane).